Beijing -LRB- CNN -RRB- Chinese-style air rage is now served both hot and cold .

Last month , a China-bound Thai AirAsia flight was forced to return to Bangkok after a female Chinese passenger threw hot water on a flight attendant amid a heated argument between her boyfriend and the cabin crew over service .

On Saturday , passengers on a plane departing Kunming Changshui International Airport in southwestern China , angry with the crew for turning off the air-conditioning during the de-icing process , opened three emergency exits just as their plane was pushing back from the gate .

The flight was canceled and 25 passengers onboard were detained .

China Eastern Airlines flight MU2036 , bound for Beijing , was already seven hours behind schedule at 3:45 a.m. when crew began to de-ice the plane at the Kunming airport , which saw more than 100 flights delayed or canceled that night because of snowy weather .

Frustrated by the lengthy delay , some of the 153 passengers -- who had been sitting on the plane for two hours -- exploded with rage when the air-conditioning stopped and an elderly passenger complained about discomfort due to the stuffy cabin , airport police told state media Saturday night .

Dissatisfied with the pilot 's explanation about the need for air-conditioning to be off during the 30-minute de-icing process , members of a tour group started quarreling with the crew , according to police .

When the Boeing 737-800 jet finally pushed back from the gate , three of its four over-the-wing emergency exits suddenly popped open .

Photos circulating on social media show two opened exits on the right side of the cabin with passengers still seated , as well as crews and police on board documenting evidence .

Air rage and emergency exists : Stormy weeks in Chinese aviation

Anger common in delay-prone China

After detaining and questioning all 25 members of the tour group , the authorities announced that a male member of the group , prompted by a female tour guide , opened two exits on the right side .

Both were sent to jail for 15 days , while police continued to look for the person who opened the exit on the left side .

As news of the incident spread , some Chinese Internet users sympathized with the perpetrators because of the delay , but many considered their punishment too lenient and suggested airlines should blacklist them for life .

Air rage is a common sight in delay-prone China and Saturday 's episode was not the first dramatic incident involving irate passengers at Kunming airport .

One of the country 's busiest hubs , more than 32 million fliers passed through its terminal last year .

In August 2012 , 31 passengers from a long-delayed flight tried to stop other planes from leaving Kunming by forcing their way onto the tarmac and occupying a taxiway for half an hour , state-run Xinhua news agency reported .

The following February , some 50 passengers from a canceled flight stormed several gates at the airport in an attempt to prevent other travelers from boarding their flights .

Police had to disperse the angry crowd with pepper spray , according to Xinhua .

Exporting air rage

With the exponential growth of outbound tourism , Chinese travelers now seem to be exporting their air rage overseas as well , with several incidents resulting in flight delays or diversions recorded in recent years .

In February 2012 , a Chinese couple was kicked off their United flight from Guam to Shanghai , after they repeatedly yelled at a flight attendant and told her to `` shut up '' when she tried to move their luggage in the overhead bin to accommodate other passengers .

In September that year , a Swiss flight bound for Beijing was forced to return to Zurich when a fight broke out between two Chinese men over a reclined seat .

In February 2014 , a fight erupted between two groups of Chinese passengers before their flight could take off from the Thai resort island of Phuket , resulting in 29 people being taken off the plane .

Then , in April , a Thai Airways red-eye from Bangkok to Beijing turned bloody when a brawl involving three Chinese men broke out .

During an official visit to the Maldives in September , President Xi Jinping personally asked Chinese tourists to behave themselves while traveling abroad .

Last year the government released a lengthy list of do 's and do n'ts aimed at turning Chinese travelers into `` civilized tourists . ''

@highlight

A plane departing southwestern China was canceled after irate passengers opened three emergency exits

@highlight

Passengers were reportedly angry with the crew for turning off the air-conditioning during the de-icing process